St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-09-19
iFrom the New York Star.

tzz=zzsHz177zy,s==- tilated rooms
MH which a sunbeam
EAg cannot enter I'M
polluted, with feverish anxiety watch
the chances of the green cloth that
care to write. Neither is it of the gam
pliers in stocks and shares, who do on a
large scale what the card gambler does
on small scale. 1t is of the brave and
daring pioneers of civilization, whose
life is one great game of chance, with
grand green Layout" under the skies,
where the birds ''chip inn and sing
the Western prOspectors.
The pr0SpectOr combines in himself
all the romance of frontier life. Though
the main object of his existence is the
seeking of hidden treasures in the shape
OF mines OF gold, silver, copper and even
lead, he is incidentally a hunter,
scout, per chance an Indian fighter,
but above all he is a gambler. He
CANDLES away years of his existence,
from the TERRA Caliente of Mexico to
the frigid steppes of Alaska on the
chance that some day or other
he may ''strike it rich" make
his ''pile" and go home to the
states to enjoy it. How often, while sit
ting around the roaring camp fire, have
l not listened, amused to hear old pros
pectOrs discussing what they would do
with the S1,000,000 they expected to get
for the Side Wiper or the Plumed
Knight, or whatever it might be, when
they got to New York. Champagne
was always to supplant whisky and an
arlstocratic mansion on Fifth avenue
the "dugout." When the prospector
his word and goes East, but
very little while sees him back
once more to the frontier. 1t is impos-
Slble almost for a man who has lived
nearly all his life in the wilderness to
shut himself up surrounded by the re-
straints Of society. He simply STILES
for the want of fresh air. The two
Sheffiin brothers, who discovered Tomb
stone, Ariz., sold their mining interests
for over 81 1000, coo each, went East, and
in six months We're back pros
pecting in the foothills of the Sierra
Madre. One of them, as | write, is
prospecting for gold in South Africa
and another brother is looking for
mineral in Alaska. Peter Jeune. well
known old French prospector. after
years spent in New Mexico, struck it
rich in 1886. and took a trip to Paris.
The ''Only city worth living in,'' as he
used to tell the boys, charmed him SO
! little that he is now wandering through
themountains of Idaho. Joe Doug
lherty, who, after striking nothing for
fifteen years, located mine of
argentiferOuS carbonateS on the line of
old Mexico and sold out to Senator
Hearst and his partners for 100000.
is also back after a brief experience of
civilized life at 1.-The Bay" as all Cali
fornians call San Francisco. The pros
.Pector's life is one to fall i'm love with.
q fhn
more independent than the prospectOr
and his hardships and dangers give to
his occupation zest and SAVIOR that re-
HeYeS it from even a suspicion of mo-
notony. -,,...-..
1n,every mining state and territory of
the country the prOSpectOr may be
found, but he is in his glory in COlora-
do, New Mexico and Arizona. The
charm of prospecting is that it requires
very little previous knowledge, and the
outfit need not be very expensive, ex-
cept one cares to make it so. IF one
cared to make a prospecting trip in
New Mexico and Southern Ar
iona, a good place to star
from would be Deming, station
on the line of the Southern Pacific rail-
road, about forty miles from the line of
old Mexico, and quite a considerable
town. You will require for outfit a
Winchester rifle, As caliber, and A or
45 caliber revolver. Colt, Merwin 81
Hurlburt and Smith e. WeSSon are the
patterns used on the frontier, and either
will do, but the caliber must not be un-
der a if you don't want to
be laughed at as a tenderfoot.
For your cartridges get one of
Col. Mills cartridge belts-not the
army pattern-which holds fifty rounds.
and put your revolver cartridges on the
left side and your Winchester cartridges
on the other. Have the scabbard of
your pistol SO that you can carry it butt
to the front. You will find, after little
practice, that you can draw your gun
great deal quicker when you carry it
this way. To be quick on the draw is
frontier virtue well worth acquiring for
one who would avoid the epitaph of the
California miner:
He had sand in his eraw,
But was slow on the draw,
So they buried him under the daisies.
In addition to your arms you will also
want to carry good hunting knife in
your belt. For clothes, pair of good
hide hunting boots, any old pants or a
pair of canvas overallS, blue flannel
shirts and the regular cowboys SOM
brero. together with a rubber coat i'm
case it rains, will suffice. Have nothing
to do with buckSkin suit. 1t is too
cold in winter and too warm in summer.
and at best is an affectation fit'only for
Wild West show. You will want a
pair of blankets-California are the best
Ito sleep in, and rubber sheet to put
between you and the ground.
The most important part of the outfit
of frOntiersman generally is his horse.
Good horses can be got all the way from
$50 to 800 in New Mexico, and Indian
ponies from Soup. Pure-blooded Amer
lean horses should be avoided, as they
do not stand hardship, and really grow
lean, broncho will grow fat on the
gramma grass of the mesas. The best
horse to get is one that has enough of
American blood to take the sspure
eussedness" out of him. Buy your
horse at a respectable corral and
not from stranger, for if
it chances to have been stolen the own
er can take it from you wherever he
finds it, and let you go home afoot, if
YOU are lucky enough to miss being tied
up by the neck with nothing to stand
uon., You will want pack animal. and
a mule is the best, as it will stay with
horse. Some prOspect0rs who are too
ipoOr to afford riding animals use burrOs
ITO pack their blankets, grub and tools.
and walk themselves. This is certainly
the best way to prospect, but it is,very
,tiresome work, and should not be at
tempted by tenderfoot.
AS to camp utinsils, canteens, pros
pecting picks for breaking off fragments
of rock. hammer, drills and giant pow
der and fuse for opening up your claim,
all these you can get at any general
store, but your greatest difficulty will
be in getting a good partner. Ali pros
pectors go in parties of two, three and
sometimes four, sharing equally i'm ev-
cry claim located and in the expenses.
One partner. however, is as good as